The present invention relates to a printing apparatus for printing images based on image data.
Recently, so-called “stand-alone printers” capable of producing photographic images by itself without being connected to personal computer (personal computer will be referred to as “PC” hereinafter) have become commonplace. The stand-alone printers are constituted by reading apparatus and operation panels. The reading apparatus is employed so as to read auxiliary media adapted to communicate with such information processing systems as memory cards on which photographic image data are recorded. The operation panels are employed in order to set such printing conditions as print paper sizes for these photographic image data.
Since such stand-alone printers can print out without being connected to PC, users who have no such PC can print out photographic images on printing media, while these photographic images are photographed by digital cameras.
In accordance with general-purpose file systems for digital cameras, character data such as photographing data/time are stored as attribute information of image data into storage media. Such character data may be read out from the recording media in combination with the image data when the printing operation is carried out, and then, can be printed out in combination with these image data. For instance, in the case that image data are outputted in an album form, and in such a case that an index of images which are recorded on a recording medium is formed, such character data as photographing date/time which are printed out in combination with the images may constitute useful information for users.
However, image data, acquired in a file formed by executing an image edit application program is data acquired by a PC when the file is formed. Accordingly, the image data to be printed out cannot be acquired by the stand-alone printer when a printing operation is carried out without specifying the image data to be printed out when the file is formed. In other words, in accordance with the related image edit application program unless the image data to be printed out is specified, an output condition in a printing apparatus cannot be determined with respect to such unspecified image data. Namely, a printing position, either an enlarging ratio or a reduction ratio, or a filtering process operation cannot be designated with respect to image data acquired without specifying the image data to be printed out in the stand-alone printer. Unless the image data to be printed out is specified, the stand-alone printer cannot determine as to whether or not attribute information such as photographing date/time is printed out when the image data is outputted.
In a related printing apparatus, in a printing subject file in which an output condition such as a layout is determined with respect to image data, such image data to be printed out cannot be designated on the side of this related printing apparatus, or cannot be changed on the side of the related printing apparatus.
Generally, when a stand-alone printer has such a function capable of causing an operator to select as to whether or not character data such as photographing date/time is printed out, there is such a problem that an operation panel of this stand-alone printer owns a complex construction.